SotD: Gipsy Rufina - About the desert wind smashing my camera down

We met this guy after he played at a local bar, had a drink and I ended up buying his slightly crooked vinyl. We also shared a similar love for Townes Van Zandt, which was cool. That was a good night.

SotD: Songs: Ohia - The Black Crow

A beautiful song combing through sadness, regret and all that self-deprecating goodness that Jason Molina so expertly put into his lyrics. May he rest in peace, I guess.

I'm getting weaker 
I'm getting thin
I hate how obvious I have been

Now streaming: Earthless - From The Ages

Oh man and it kicks some serious ass too. Check it on SPIN here.

Great pop songs: Elton John - Rocket Man

Song: Rocket Man

Writers: Bernie Taupin, Elton John

Interpreter: Elton John

Rocket Man is a song about drugs, as was costumary in the 70's. I particularly like this one, though not a fan of Elton John per se - he put out some dreadful stuff. 

The song features some key elements I'd like to point out. 

Firstly, the ballad chorus progression that is characteristic of pop songs, contrasted with a very interesting (easy listening) piano work complemented by added effects that bring the song a little closer to psychedelic/space rock that was also popular at the time.

Secondly, the lyrics are deceiving in several layers. They relate to drug experimenting but they also tell us a great story of separation, loneliness and acceptance. 

In a way, the lyrics go beyond the old "song about drugs that doesn't sound like a song about drugs" that most bands write still today. Instead, they tell us the story of a rocketman; that story is an allegory for drug use; the drug use brings us back to the original story and talks to us about human experience. 

The deceptive simplicity of the song seems to me to be also connected with the song structure: a ballad made space-rock made ballad. The same way the added effects bring us closer to the psychedelia of 70's music, they do at the same time reinforce the song's identity as a pop song. 

In a way, Rocket Man is to me a thematic triangle made of lyrical imagery resonating with its structural elements and composition. Funnily enough, one person who sees it as I do was William Shatner: "rock it, man!". 

Rock it, indeed.

Hexvessel - Dawnbearer

...and that wraps it up as far as old reviews go. Now I can focus on actual content! By the way, the album is still 10€ (8€ digital copy on bandcamp, which I'll link below) but I'm not sure whether the shipping is still free, I caught that last year so I was pretty pleased about it. Also this review is more in line with what I like to write, technical and concise. 

Previous archived reviews here, here, here and here.

Hexvessel - Dawnbearer (2011)

Arguably among the best releases of 2011, Hexvessel’s Dawnbearer is a psychedelic folk gem with superb ambience and progression.

Hexvessel were created by Mat McNerney (aka Kvohst), a black metal vocalist from England who moved to Finland, where he would unite with several other musicians (including people from the great Dark Buddha Rising) and build this project.

There’s nothing particularly innovative about Dawnbearer but again, there’s really not much more one can stretch within this particular genre. But what they manage to do, they pull it off with skill and feeling. The composition is strongly based on melodic repetitions, acoustic wanderings and of course background psychedelic noise, either by a distorted guitar or a dragging violin. There are of course some more folk instruments thrown in, such as the banjo, but the bulk of the music is centred around those elements. The vocals are impeccable and the album itself is very fluid and constant, perfect for those with a taste for more ambience-driven soft tunes. Its fluidity doesn’t compromise the creativity of each song however, and that’s probably one of the strongest points about this album, which is particularly difficult to pull off since it is a 15 (!) song composition.

At the time of my writing this review, the album is on sale for 10€ with free shipping – so there’s another reason why you should buy it. It’s totally worth it. Give it a go.